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Sermon:
Intensity
 human
nature, worldliness, Satan
by Chris Cumming
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I grew up hearing a phrase that said you cannot tell a game without a
scorecard. Such is the case today and why I sent you a scorecard with
words. Your having studied these words and having them on paper before
you for this sermon will aid your understanding as we go through the
scriptures.
For years, I have been preaching about the personal and collective need
for Fervency, Diligence and
Zeal in our day-to-day
lives in the salvation process. I will continue this message to the day
I die. Those three words, Fervency,
Diligence and
Zeal have more to do that just
our lives in the salvation process and the elements we find there. They
have to do with our very worship of God. In fact, the more we worship
God, the more we seek relationship with Him. As you are going to see,
the more we worship God, the more He seeks deeper relationship with us.
Those three words are talking about intensity. The purpose of
this sermon is to encourage all of us to bring continual intensity to
our worship of God.
Manifest
intensity.
You have your sheet of words before you. Let us review that list of
words.
Fervent --Intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm. Hot,
burning, glowing
Intense --High or extreme degree. Very great strength,
keenness. Strong emotions.
Ardor --Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.
Intense devotion, eagerness or
enthusiasm; zeal.
Effectual --Producing or capable of producing an intended effect.
Hasting --Urgent need of quick action; in a hurry or rush.
Swiftness of motion and speed.
Diligent --Constant in effort to accomplishing something.
In Spirit --To infuse [introduce;
penetrate; instill] God's Holy Spirit into what you do. This
infusion process takes place before the physical action. It takes place
in the mind or heart.
Zealous --Full of zeal.
Ardently active and devoted [intensely
devoted, eager, or enthusiastic].
Diligent.
Waxed Strong --Waxed
means increase. So waxed
strong has the meaning of getting stronger and stronger.
2 Samuel 3:1 (example
of “waxing”)
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David:
but David waxed stronger
and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed
weaker and weaker.
With this scorecard before you, let us get into the
intensity of God's Word. We will
begin with the key verse for our discussion. We will be spending much
of the sermon with this verse.
John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth.
We will begin with the Barnes Notes commentary:
God is A spirit - This is the second
reason why men should worship him in
spirit and in truth. By this is meant that God is without
a body; that he is not material or composed of parts; that he is
invisible, in every place, pure and holy. This is one of the first
truths of religion, and one of the [most
sublime] ever presented to the mind of man. Almost all
nations have had some idea of God as gross or material, but the Bible
declares that he is a pure spirit. As he is such a spirit, he dwells not
in temples made with hands Acts 7:48, neither is worshipped with men’s
hands as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and
breath, and all things, Acts 17:25. A pure, a holy, a spiritual worship,
therefore, is such as he seeks - the offering of the soul rather than
the formal offering of the body - the homage of the heart rather than
that of the lips. ~Barnes Notes
Quoted verses:
Acts 7:48
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith
the prophet,
Acts 17:25
Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing,
seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Let me read that last sentence of the commentary again: "A pure, a
holy, a spiritual worship, therefore, is such as he seeks - the offering
of the soul rather than the formal offering of the body - the homage of
the heart rather than that of the lips." "The offering of the soul
rather than the formal offering of the body." "The homage of the heart
rather than that of the lips." This is talking about the highest levels
of human communication, which we have discussed several times. Let us
review the top two levels of communication; Levels 4 and 5:
Level 4: Sharing
Values & Feelings
And so we progress to level 4. Now it gets scary. We’re sharing what
we feel. What drives us. Our hopes and our dreams. This is where you
start to become friends. You’re really stepping out of the safe zone
now.
Level 5: Sharing
Intimacy & Confession
This is where it gets scary. Now you start sharing the deepest part of
who you are. This is a level most reserve for only God…and often He
doesn’t even get it.
This is where we start really being intimate. To share what we’ve done
wrong, as well as the amazing things in our life. This is where we
really take a risk.
This is where we open our heart, mind and soul to the other person.
There are no secrets. This is true intimacy.
That’s what Level 5 Communication is like: being completely open and
honest, more than honest. Sharing the deepest, scariest parts of you,
knowing the risk and still deciding to be vulnerable.
~end quote from our document on the
subject.
John 4:24 says we must worship God in
spirit and in truth. How could this not involve our
opening our heart, mind and soul to God? God may bless you with these
high levels of communication and intimacy to show you what He seeks from
you in worship. Let us look at more commentaries on John 4:24.
God is a Spirit - This is one of the
first, the greatest, the most sublime, and necessary truths in the
compass of nature! There is a God, the cause of all things - the
fountain of all perfection - without parts or dimensions, for he is
Eternal - filling the heavens and the earth - pervading, governing, and
upholding all things: for he is an infinite Spirit! This God can be
pleased only with that which resembles himself: therefore he must hate
sin and sinfulness; and can delight in those only who are made partakers
of his own Divine nature. As all creatures were made by him, so all owe
him obedience and reverence; but, to be acceptable to this infinite
Spirit, the worship must be of a spiritual nature - must spring from the
heart, through the influence of the Holy [Spirit]:
and it must be in Truth, not only in sincerity, but performed according
to that Divine revelation which he has given men of himself. A man
worships God in spirit,
when, under the influence of the Holy [Spirit],
he brings all his affections, appetites, and desires to the throne of
God; and he worships him in truth, when every purpose and passion of his
heart, and when every act of his religious worship, is guided and
regulated by the word of God. ~Adam
Clarke
Now, let us look at scriptures linked to our key verse of John 4:24
Linked to John 4:24
For, "a Spirit":
2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is liberty.
1 Timothy 1:17 [see
Lesson]
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be
honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
For, "Must: worship him in spirit
and in truth":
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the
height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth
not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the
LORD looketh on the heart.
Psalm 50:13-15
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou
shalt glorify me.
Psalm 50:23
Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his
conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.
Psalm 51:17 [see
sermon, "B&C"]
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite
heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Psalm 66:18
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Isaiah 57:15
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose
name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is
of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and
to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Matthew 15:8-9
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me
with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.
2 Corinthians 1:12
For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in
simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the
grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more
abundantly to you-ward.
Now we will look at more scriptures teaching us to manifest
intensity.
"In Spirit"
Proverbs 29:23
A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble
in spirit.
Commentary:
But honour shall uphold the humble in
spirit - not who are humble in appearance only, or merely
in words, having a show of humility, a voluntary and affected one; but
really in their hearts; whose spirits are humble and contrite; who are
so in spiritual things, and are made so by the Spirit of God: they are
such who are truly sensible of sin; of their folly, and want of
spiritual knowledge; of their impotence, and weakness to do anything
that is spiritually good; of their spiritual poverty, and want of
righteousness; who see that salvation is all of grace; and that whatever
they have is owing to the grace of God; that they are deficient in all
their duties, and these insufficient to justify them before God; who
submit to the righteousness of Christ, and give all the glory of
salvation to the grace of God. These, as they are honourable, being
clothed with humility, which is itself an ornament of great price; so
they are honoured with more grace from the Lord; they are beautified
with the garments of salvation; they have the honour to have the
spiritual and gracious presence of God, and fellowship with him, who
dwells with such as are of an humble spirit: these are the meek and
lowly, that shall inherit the new earth, and reign as kings with Christ
in it; and the poor in spirit,
to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs: and this honour is durable, they
shall always abide in it; the grace they have, which makes them
glorious, springs up unto eternal life; and the glory they shall have is
an eternal weight of glory, a crown of glory that fadeth not away: for
so the words may be rendered, "the humble
in spirit shall lay hold on glory" or "honour"; possess
it and enjoy it: or rather "shall retain" it; shall hold it fast.
~John Gill
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient
in spirit is better than
the proud in spirit.
Commentary:
And the patient in spirit
is better than the proud in spirit - patience is a
fruit of the Spirit of God; and is of great use in the Christian's life,
and especially in bearing afflictions, and tends to make men more
humble, meek, and quiet; and such are highly esteemed of God; on them he
looks, with them he dwells, and to them he gives more grace; when such
who are proud, and elated with themselves, their riches or
righteousness, are abominable to him.
~John Gill
Isaiah 29:24
They also that erred in spirit
shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn
doctrine.
Commentary:
Shall come to understanding - to a
spiritual understanding of Christ, and salvation by him; of his Gospel,
and the doctrines of it; as well as of themselves, their state and
condition: ~John Gill
Shall learn doctrine - the doctrine of
the Messiah; not the law, but the Gospel, which Christ "received" from
his Father, as the word used signifies, and his disciples received from
him, and the church has received from them, and has been transmitted to
us Gentiles, and will be to the Jews in the latter day, who will learn
the true knowledge of it. ~John Gill
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Commentary:
Blessed are the poor in spirit
- Not the poor in purse, or who are so with respect to things
temporal: for though God has chosen and called many, who are in such a
condition of life, yet not all; the kingdom of heaven cannot be said to
belong to them all, or only; but such as are poor in a spiritual sense.
All mankind are spiritually poor; they have nothing to eat that is fit
and proper; nor any clothes to wear, but rags; nor are they able to
purchase either; they have no money to buy with; they are in debt, owe
ten thousand talents, and have nothing to pay; and in such a condition,
that they are not able to help themselves. The greater part of mankind
are insensible of this their condition; but think themselves rich, and
increased with goods: there are some who are sensible of it, who see
their poverty and want, freely acknowledge it, bewail it, and mourn over
it; are humbled for it, and are broken under a sense of it; entertain
low and mean thoughts of themselves; seek after the true riches, both of
grace and glory; and frankly acknowledge, that all they have, or hope to
have, is owing to the free grace of God. Now these are the persons
intended in this place; who are not only "poor", but are poor "in
spirit"; in their own spirits, in their own sense,
apprehension, and judgment: and may even be called "beggars", as the
word may be rendered; for being sensible of their poverty, they place
themselves at the door of mercy, and knock there; their language is,
"God be merciful"; their posture is standing, watching, and waiting, at
wisdom's gates, and at the posts of her door; they are importunate, will
have no denial, yet receive the least favour with thankfulness. Now
these are pronounced "blessed", for this reason.
~John Gill
Luke 1:80 ...John
the Baptist example
And the child grew, and waxed
strong in spirit, and was
in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Commentary:
Waxed
strong in spirit - That is, in courage,
understanding, and purposes of good, fitting him for his future work.
The word “wax” means to
“increase, to grow,” from an old Saxon word.
~Barnes Notes
Luke 2:40
...Jesus our example
And the child grew, and waxed
strong in spirit, filled
with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
Commentary:
And waxed strong in spirit
- or in his soul; for as he had a true body, he had also a reasonable
soul; the faculties of which were far from being weak, they were
exceeding strong, and appeared stronger and stronger every day; his
understanding was clear, his judgment solid, and his memory strong and
retentive, his will, and the desires of it, were to that which is good,
and his affections cleaved unto it. The Persic and Ethiopic versions
read, "was strengthened in", or "by the Holy Spirit"; with the grace and
gifts of it; but the former sense is best.
~John Gill
John 4:23
...the verse just before our key verse for
the day
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Commentary:
But the hour cometh, and now is - The old
dispensation is about to pass away, and the new one to commence.
“Already” there is so much light that God may be worshipped acceptably
in any place.
The true worshippers - All who truly and
sincerely worship God. They who do it with the heart, and not merely in
form.
In spirit - The word “spirit,” here,
stands opposed to rites and ceremonies, and to the pomp of external
worship. It refers to the “mind,” the “soul,” the “heart.” They shall
worship God with a sincere “mind;” with the simple offering of gratitude
and prayer; with a desire to glorify him, and without external pomp and
splendor. Spiritual worship is that where the heart is offered to God,
and where we do not depend on external forms for acceptance.
In truth - Not through the medium of
shadows and types, not by means of sacrifices and bloody offerings, but
in the manner represented or typified by all these, (see
Hebrews 9:9, Hebrews 9:24). In the true way of direct access
to God through Jesus Christ.
For the Father seeketh - Jesus gives two
reasons why this kind of worship should take place. One is that God
sought it or desired it. He had appointed the old mode, but he did it
because he sought to lead the mind to himself even by those forms, and
to prepare the people for the purer system of the gospel, and now he
sought or desired that those who worshipped him should worship him in
that manner. He intimated his will by Jesus Christ.
~Barnes Notes
1 Timothy 4:12 [see
Lesson]
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers,
in word, in conversation, in charity, in
spirit, in faith, in purity.
Fervent in Spirit
Key Verse:
Romans 12:11
Not slothful in business; fervent
in spirit; serving the
Lord;
Notice the commentary:
Fervent - This word is
usually applied to water, or to metals so heated as to bubble, or boil.
It hence is used to denote ardor,
intensity, or as we express
it, a glow, meaning intense
zeal, Acts 18:25.
~Barnes Notes
Quoted verse
and I will read verse 24:
Acts 18:24-25
24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man,
and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being
fervent in the spirit, he spake
and taught diligently the
things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
In Spirit - In your mind or
heart. The expression is used to denote a mind filled with
intense
ardor in whatever it is engaged.
It is supposed that Christians would first find appropriate objects for
their labor, and then engage in them with
intense ardor
and zeal.
~Barnes Notes
2 Corinthians 7:7
And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was
comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning,
your fervent mind toward
me; so that I rejoiced the more.
Commentary:
Your fervent mind toward me
- Greek, ‘Your zeal for
me.’ It denotes that they evinced [make
evident; prove; show clearly] great
ardor of attachment to him, and
an earnest desire to comply with his wishes.
~Barnes Notes
James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye
may be healed. The effectual
fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.
Commentary:
The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much - The words signify energetic
supplication, or such a prayer as is suggested to the soul and wrought
in it by a Divine energy. When God designs to do some particular work in
his Church he pours out on his followers the spirit of grace and
supplication; and this he does sometimes when he is about to do some
especial work for an individual. When such a power of prayer is granted,
faith should be immediately called into exercise, that the blessing may
be given: the spirit of prayer is the proof that the power of God is
present to heal. Long prayers give no particular evidence of Divine
inspiration: the following was a maxim among the ancient Jews, the
prayers of the righteous are short. This is exemplified in almost every
instance in the Old Testament. ~Adam
Clarke
1 Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent
charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Commentary:
Have fervent charity -
Intense love; for love shall
cover a multitude of sins. A loving disposition leads us to pass by the
faults of others, to forgive offenses against ourselves, and to excuse
and lessen, as far as is consistent with truth, the transgressions of
men. It does not mean that our love to others will induce God to pardon
our offenses. ~Adam Clarke
Have fervent charity among
yourselves - Warm, ardent love toward each other. On the nature
of charity, see the notes at 1 Corinthians13:1. The word rendered “fervent,”
means properly extended; then intent, earnest,
fervent.
~Barnes Notes
Two verses showing how God will manifest fervency soon:
2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2 Peter 3:12
Looking for and hasting
unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire
shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat?
Now there is a day to look forward to. And you will be there as you
manifest Intensity!!
human nature, worldliness, Satan
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